The ABC’s of KindergartenWelcome! I am so excited to have your child in my class this year! Kindergarten is a time of new beginnings, making friends, and learning new things each and every day. I hope this handbook will help you and your child answer any questions.

AArrivalStudents may begin entering their classroom at 8:15 am and the tardy bell will ring at 8:40 am. We will begin our day promptly at 8:40. Students will be dismissed at 3:30pm. Students riding a bus will be dismissed to the bus pick up area at the front of the school. Students being picked up by their families will be dismissed to the side doors to the parent pickup area. If your child is leaving early from school (for example a doctor’s appointment) you must sign your child out at the office and they will call to have your child sent to the office for you to pick them up. If you want your child to go home differently (for example to ride home with another parent or student) then you must send a note to school in their take home folder.

AttendanceGood attendance is crucial for student learning! Please contact the school office any time your child is absent from school. School starts at 8:40. Please have your child at school on time.

BBackpacksYour child should bring his/her backpack to school every day. Please make sure your child’s backpack is large enough to hold a 2-pocket folder. The backpack will be used to carry his/her daily folder to and from school. I ask that you check the folder daily for important classroom/school information. Please send it back every day and I will check the daily folder for notes/lunch money . We do not look through students’ backpacks for notes/ papers/money that need to be turned in; it is the child’s responsibility to give these things to the teacher in the daily folder. I will remind them to turn their folder in each morning.

BirthdaysWe love to celebrate birthdays! If you would like to send treats for your child’s birthday, you may. Due to health regulations, we cannot have anything homemade. If your child’s birthday is during the summer, we will celebrate it at the end of the year.

CCommunicationThroughout the year I communicate with you through notes, telephone calls, parent teacher conferences, Facebook, Remind App, and my classroom blog. I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. You may contact me before or after school (at 742-4639), by email (at tilliewoods@willardschools.net), by note, or make an appointment. The best way to contact me is through email.

ClothingYour child’s safety is of the utmost importance, so please have your child wear tennis shoes to school on P.E days. Also, please make sure your child is able to button and zip his/her own pants, as this may help prevent bathroom accidents. Zipping winter coats is a helpful skill to practice at home too.

ConferencesParent-Teacher conferences will be held at the end of the first quarter. If you would like to have a conference at any other time to discuss your child’s progress, please let me know. It is important that we have open communication concerning your child, so I am happy to schedule a meeting with you any time.

DDaily ScheduleThere is a copy of our daily schedule on our classroom blog under the tab “more”.

DisciplineYour child deserves the most positive educational climate possible for academic growth. I will discuss our discipline plan many times during the first weeks of school, but I would appreciate it if you would review the plan with your child. (I will send you detailed information about this after we discuss it in class) Our goal is to help students become responsible for their behavior choices.

DismissalStudents will be dismissed at 3:30pm (3:10 on Monday). Students riding a bus will be dismissed to the bus pickup area at the front of the school. Students being picked up by their families will be dismissed to the side doors. Parents are discouraged from coming into the building to pick their children up. The car line looks long, but is actually very quick to go through. If your child is leaving early from school (for example a doctor’s appointment) you must sign your child out at the office and they will call the classroom to have your child sent to the office for you to pick them up. This helps with classroom disruptions. If you want your child to go home differently (for example to ride home with another parent or student) then you must send a note to school.

EEarly Out MondaysThe Willard School District will be dismissing school 30 minutes early every Monday.We will dismiss at 3:10.

EmailYou can contact me through email, tilliewoods@willardschools.net. We encourage parents to contact us through email rather than by phone during the school day if possible. Please give me 24 hours to respond. I usually respond much quicker than that, but with a classroom of kindergarten children, sometimes it will take me a little longer.

Emergency NumbersPlease keep the office up to date on any changes you may have in phone numbers. It is vital that we are able to contact you.

FFacebookI have a class Facebook page that I use to share things that are going on in the classroom and at school. It is a closed-group page, which means I control who is a part of the group and who views the pictures. I ask that you do not share pictures that I post on your own page to ensure privacy. You can find the page on Facebook and request access to the page, or I will send you an invite if you would like to join. I will not put pictures of your child on the page if you are not comfortable with this- just let me know!

GGuided ReadingGuided Reading is a critical part of our reading instruction. Students will receive small-group reading instruction on their instructional reading level. Groups will change frequently, as all students learn at a different pace.

HHelp at HomeI believe the partnership between the teacher and parents is critical for student success. You are your child’s first teacher, and your help at home is so important.

HealthPlease let me know if there are special circumstances which may affect your child. These could include medication that makes your child sleepy, a death in the family, etc.

IIllnessPlease do not send your child to school if he or she is sick. Students must be free of symptoms (fever, vomiting, and diarrhea) without medication for twenty-four hours before returning to school. It is better to err on the side of caution.

InvitationsIf you are planning a party and would like to pass out invitations at school please make sure that EVERYONE in the class is invited. If you are inviting a select few, get them to me and I will try to get them in backpacks so feelings are not hurt.

JJoy of LearningLearning should be enjoyable for students! My intention is to teach skills appropriate to students' development that will encourage them to become lifelong learners. I want your student to be excited to come to school and learn throughout his/her school career. Let kindergarten be the foundation for that love of learning.

KKindnessStudents in our classroom are encouraged and expected to treat all members of our class and school with kindness and respect at all times. Bothering others, bullying, and interrupting learning will not be permitted.

LLibraryStudents have Library once a week. They are allowed to check out a library book each week and take it home.

LiteracyOur Communications Arts curriculum reflects a balanced literacy program. Students are immersed in reading and writing throughout the day in a variety of ways, including read-alouds, shared reading, phonics instruction, word building, writer’s workshop, guided reading, etc. One of my most important jobs as a kindergarten teacher is to build a strong foundation in reading and writing.

LunchLunch money that you send to school will be credited to your child’s account. You do not need to set up an account at the beginning of the year, you have one created as soon as your child begins school. Please send money to be put in this account in a marked envelope (ex. "child’s name, lunch money"). Send the envelope to school in your child’s Take Home Folder. When there is a deficit in your child’s lunch account, the school will send a note home. A student lunch costs $2.25. If your student brings a lunch and wants a milk, this will be deducted from their lunch account balance. Extra milk costs .35. Students will have 25 minutes to eat lunch. Parents are also welcome to eat lunch with their children. Please let me know in advance if you are planning on eating with your child and if you would like to purchase a school lunch so that I may include it in the lunch count.

MMedicine at SchoolStudents are not allowed to have any medicine in the classroom. If they have a prescription medicine to be taken during the day, you will need to notify the school nurse.

NNewslettersEach week I will send out an online classroom newsletter in the form of a blog. It will contain important information about our classroom and school events. You may request a paper copy if needed.

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PPartiesWe will have three class parties, a Fall party, Winter holiday party, and a Valentine’s Day party, which will be planned by the homeroom parent(s).

QQuestionsPlease feel free to contact me any time!

RRest n’ ReadWe do have a resting time in kindergarten. We call it Rest n’ Read. After some quiet time, I allow students to look at a book. Kindergarten is very busy and Rest n’ Read is needed by all. Please send a rest mat/or towel with your child’s name labeled on it for your kindergartner to use during rest time. We will use rest mats at the beginning of the year and I will send a note home when they are no longer needed. Please remind your child that toys/pillows/blankets are not allowed at school and should not be brought for Rest n’ Read (this includes stuffed animals).

RecessWe have two 15 minute recess’ each day. Please be aware of the weather and help your child dress appropriately. We will be going outside unless the wind chill is below thirty-two degrees.

RestroomWe will take a few restroom breaks throughout the day. Students may also go to the restroom by themselves in our classroom. Please let me know if your child must use the restroom very frequently, or if your child has accidents often. Some parents choose to have their children keep extra clothes in their backpacks just in case of an accident, especially at the beginning of the school year.

SShoe TyingPlease help your child practice tying his/her shoes at home. It takes a lot of practice, so keep working at it! We have a very rigorous curriculum, so we will not spend class time learning to tie shoes. If your child cannot tie their shoes, please do not send them in shoes with laces.

ShoesTennis shoes or closed-toe shoes are strongly encouraged every day! It is difficult for students to run and play safely at recess in flip-flops and sandals.

SnacksI will send out a snack calendar at the beginning of each month. On your child’s snack day, please send enough snacks for everyone in the class. Snacks cannot be homemade. They do not need to be individually packaged. We have access to a refrigerator if the snack needs to be refrigerated. You may send in drinks too, but that is optional. Some ideas for snack: applesauce cups (please send spoons too), pudding cups, Yogurt, Cheeze-Its (I have napkins-no need for plates), bananas, granola bars, teddy grahams, animal crackers… Anything is fine as long as it is not chips, soda, candy etc…

SuppliesYou should have received a supply list when you registered your child for kindergarten. We may request other supplies during the year as we run out of things.

TToysChildren are not allowed to bring toys to school. Toys that are brought to school will be confiscated by school staff.

Take Home FolderYour child will be responsible for transporting their folder to and from school daily. I encourage families to look over the completed work with their student and clean it out nightly. The folders will be our way of communicating. Notes to me, lunch money (in a marked envelope) should be sent to school in the Take Home folders.

UUniqueKindergarten is a unique experience. It is the foundation for success, and every child deserves to be successful. That is my intention for this school year. There will be A LOT of learning going on this year, and young children learn through active, hands-on experiences and through play.

VVisitorsFor the safety of our students, all visitors must sign in at the office.

VolunteersYou are welcome to become involved in whatever way is possible for your family. We are always in need of donations to help with our learning. I will let you know what we will need in the classroom blog. I also need help putting together Book Order Forms (you can do this at home), paper books, help with class parties, making copies at school, etc… If you are interested please let me know!

WWebsiteI have a classroom web site. It will be updated frequently. You can find the site athttp://woodskindergarten.weebly.com. I will email you every time I update the newsletter portion of the website. If you need me to add/change an email address to send the updates to, let me know. This will be the main way I communicate with you about what is going on in our classroom.

WritingWe use the Writer’s Workshop framework in our classroom. This format honors where all students are on the writing continuum, and allows students to learn the process of writing in a risk-free environment. Students will have independent writing time each day. We also teach students in one-on-one writing conferences and small assisted writing groups. This allows the teacher to scaffold each student as an emerging writer. Students begin with drawing pictures that tell a story, and eventually begin to write letters, words, and sentences to represent a message. Writing serves a purpose, and purposeful learning is the most powerful learning of all!

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ZZZZZ’sMake sure that your child gets plenty of rest (10-11 hours at this age). Setting and keeping a routine at bedtime is a wonderful gift you can give your child. A typical kindergarten day can be exhausting for a child, especially the first half of the year. Plenty of sleep allows your child to be alert and ready to learn at school each day.